Objective for this Page: To analyze the play’s theme,
characters, and staging.

Study and Essay Questions

DIRECTIONS: Reading the play: Use the
questions behind the links below to help you see beyond just what happens in the play and
to consider the dynamics of the conflict and the artful staging of the play.

Writing about the play: Following your instructor's
directives, you may write about any of the bold or italic
questions on these pages; since the italic questions are
very focused, you might consider combining three or more closely related questions
together to make one thesis. Click on the bold question to access the italicized
subquestions.

All of these are adapted from questions that students in previous classes have asked
or suggested about Hamlet. Under each large (bold) question, the more focused
(italic) questions more or less parallel the sequence of events in the play--for ease of
reference, not to promote summarizing.

5. Consider the staging of a crucial
scene--Hamlet and Gertrude in the queen's bedroom. How do the staging elements make
this scene plausible? It is during this scene when Hamlet turns Gertrude away from
Claudius and makes her silent or neutral, if not an ally in his plan against Claudius.
Explain how the music, props, costumes, scenery, camera work, blocking (actor's positions
and actions, e.g. Hamlet on top of Gertrude and grabbing her medallion), sound effects or
special effects (like the ghost), and uses of light, shadow, and color all contribute to
making Hamlet's recruiting of Gertrude to his cause believable.

The URL for this page is:
http://vccslitonline.cc.va.us/TheHamletSite/studygd.htm

CAUTION: If you attempt to write an essay that
shows a progression or deterioration--and therefore must parallel some of the events in
the play--be absolutely sure that you do NOT fall into summarizing the play by ALWAYS explaining
each reference to the play and each quotation. That means having an idea for each
paragraph, preferably stated in a topic sentence, and relating each incident and quotation
mentioned in the paragraph to that idea. (If you find yourself starting a paragraph with
"next" or "then" or other transitions for marking the mere passage of
time, step back, find (or make) your topic sentence--about characters' motives or the
function of color in the costuming to signal who's allied with whom or whatever
interpretive insight will cause you to organize data from the play.)